So why in 2013 (besides the fact major news organizations are incredibly lazy) are we still using the term 'insert word about scandal here'-gate to describe ANY type of scandal or controversy?
That whole Nixon thing isn't called the Watergate Scandal because the word Watergate comes from the Latin wateria gata which means great big mess. It is called the Watergate scandal because that was the name of the damn building in which the break in occurred.
So when I hear someone on the news say something like, "Oh this whole gun bill getting voted down in the Senate has turned into a real gungate," it really grinds my gears. Gungate isn't a word, it is a gate made out of guns, which would probably not be a very cost effective gate, when wood or chain link will work just fine.
Moral of this post? There are literally hundreds of thousands of words in our language, let's try using some more appropriate ones when applicable please.
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